A man has been arrested after allegedly threatening to kill Vivek Ramaswamy and his supporters at an event on Monday, according to newly released court records.
The suspect, 30-year-old Tyler Anderson, was first reported to police by the Republican presidential hopeful’s staff last week after he allegedly responded to one of the campaign’s texts about an upcoming campaign event.
"We are grateful to law enforcement for their swiftness and professionalism in handling this matter and pray for the safety of all Americans," Ramaswamy campaign spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to ABC News.
Mr Ramaswamy was not identified specifically in the complaint, but details match up with the event held in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Monday morning. His campaign also confirmed he was the target of the threat.
Per ABC, Mr Anderson also allegedly referred to him in a response to text invite to the event, writing: "Great, another opportunity for me to blow [Ramaswamy's] brains out.”
"I'm going to kill everyone who attends and then f*** their corpses," a second message said, according to screenshots included in the complaint.
Mr Ramaswamy, who has campaigned against cutting federal law enforcement— (AP)
The text messages, which had been deleted, were found after law enforcement seized Mr Anderson’s phone during a search of his home on Saturday.
The 30-year-old also allegedly sent threatening messages to another candidate on Wednesday, the search of his phone found, the complaint states. Part of those messages included “hope you have the stamina for a mass shooting!” ABC reported.
It iss unclear who the second candidate was.
Mr Anderson is due to make his first appearance in federal court on Monday afternoon.
Asked by ABC News last week on the trail if he was concerned for his safety, Mr Ramaswamy, who has campaigned against cutting federal law enforcement, said, "I have not certainly brought that up as a concern."
When asked then if threats had been made on his life, Ramaswamy told the outlet, "We don't take anything for granted, but I'm confident that the team around us and our family is on this journey together. And I'm praying for our family and our country."
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